Talking about sexism rarely wins women a lot of fans. Call out a dude for sending creepy messages on a professional networking site and you're a "feminazi." Write about feminism for a living and you're a "fat b*tch."
Which is why it's awesome, brave and necessary when famous women make a point of calling out the sexism they see and experience, both subtle and outright. Here, in no particular order, are 15 times well-known women publicly had none of it in the last year. To which we say -- yes, yes, yes. YES.
1
When J Law got real about why it's so damn hard for women to get what they deserve.
Juan Naharro Gimenez via Getty Images
When, after the Sony e-mail hack, J Law found out she was being paid way less than her male co-stars, she was pissed -- and she spoke up about it in an essay that was equal parts eloquent and gutsy.
Lawrence astutely tackled the very real reason why so many women -- including non-movie stars -- don't push harder for what they deserve. "I didn't want to seem 'difficult' or 'spoiled.' At the time, that seemed like a fine idea, until I saw the payroll on the Internet and realized every man I was working with definitely didn't worry about being 'difficult' or 'spoiled,'" she wrote in Lena Dunham's Lenny Letter. "I'm over trying to find the 'adorable' way to state my opinion and still be likable!" she added. Us too, girl.
Lawrence astutely tackled the very real reason why so many women -- including non-movie stars -- don't push harder for what they deserve. "I didn't want to seem 'difficult' or 'spoiled.' At the time, that seemed like a fine idea, until I saw the payroll on the Internet and realized every man I was working with definitely didn't worry about being 'difficult' or 'spoiled,'" she wrote in Lena Dunham's Lenny Letter. "I'm over trying to find the 'adorable' way to state my opinion and still be likable!" she added. Us too, girl.
2
When Claire McCaskill kindly reminded men to just "shut the hell up."
Senator Claire McCaskill had some A+ advice for lowering the collective volume of sexist BS in this country: Sometimes, she offered in a brilliant bit on "Late Show with Stephen Colbert," men should feel free to "just shut the hell up."
"It's not that women don't value your thoughts, it's just that we don't value all of them," she said. "The world doesn't need your opinion on everything. For example, what women do with their bodies. Hush."
"It's not that women don't value your thoughts, it's just that we don't value all of them," she said. "The world doesn't need your opinion on everything. For example, what women do with their bodies. Hush."
3
When Planned Parenthood's president did not stand for misleading GOP nonsense.
Picking just one example of when Planned Parenthood's president, Cecile Richards, shut down anti-woman hogwash in the last year is borderline impossible. But she was such a rockstar while squaring off against the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform -- particularly in the moment when she called out Rep. Jason Chaffetz for relying on shoddy sources in a slide he presented at the hearings.
"You created this slide. I have no idea what it is," Richards said, to which Chaffetz answered that the numbers came "directly out of your corporate reports."
"Excuse me," Richards said moments later. "My lawyers have informed me that the source of this is Americans United for Life which is an anti-abortion group so I would check your source." Aaaaand, mic drop.
"You created this slide. I have no idea what it is," Richards said, to which Chaffetz answered that the numbers came "directly out of your corporate reports."
"Excuse me," Richards said moments later. "My lawyers have informed me that the source of this is Americans United for Life which is an anti-abortion group so I would check your source." Aaaaand, mic drop.
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4
When this sports analyst schooled Greg Hardy and the NFL.
In this epic, take-no-prisoners segment, Katie Nolan -- host of FS1's "Garbage Time" -- eviscerated Greg Hardy (who had been suspended from the NFL after being accused of violence against his ex-girlfriend), the NFL and the reporters who let them get away with easy deflections and sexist comments about the hotness of other players' wives. "Greg Hardy had to pretend to respect women for 12 minutes... and he couldn't even do that," she said.
"Expecting a garbage human," she continued, "who has been punished for being garbage, to come back from his suspension and not immediately resume being garbage is asking the bare minimum."
"Expecting a garbage human," she continued, "who has been punished for being garbage, to come back from his suspension and not immediately resume being garbage is asking the bare minimum."
5
6
When the Norwegian World Cup team reminded everyone that yes, women are good at sports. (And funny as hell.)
How did the Norwegian World Cup soccer team respond to the persistent and completely ridiculous notion that women can't play soccer -- as perpetuated by an " class=" js-entry-link cet-internal-link" data-vars-subunit-name="article_body" data-vars-subunit-type="" data-vars-position-in-subunit="23">ESPN analyst who, in covering the World Cup, quipped that a goalie may have missed a save because she didn't want to mess up her hair? By parodying the sh*t out of it, of course.
"I tend to pick up the balls with my hands," one of the players deadpanned in an amazing video released by the team. "The goal is too big," a goalkeeper said. "There ought to be two of us."
Watch it. It's a gem.
"I tend to pick up the balls with my hands," one of the players deadpanned in an amazing video released by the team. "The goal is too big," a goalkeeper said. "There ought to be two of us."
Watch it. It's a gem.
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7
When Amy Schumer stood up for her "skanky" "Trainwreck" character.
Schumer had no time for slut-shaming nonsense during a 2015 press junket, when an interviewer opined that her character was "skanky." "That's a rude question," Schumer said -- and then her mood took an immediate and aaaawesome turn. Watch at about four minutes and 40 seconds in, when the clearly clueless and oddly persistent interviewer continues to cast judgement on Schumer's character -- and the actress crushes him with a simple and perfect, "No."
8
When Serena Williams got real about why she didn't want to effing smile.
The tennis star's flawless response to a male reporter's question about why she wasn't smiling after a U.S. Open win was totally honest and totally spot-on.
"To be perfectly honest with you, I don't want to be here," she said. "I just want to be in bed right now and I have to wake up early to practice. And I don't want to answer any of these questions, and you guys keep asking me the same questions."
"To be perfectly honest with you, I don't want to be here," she said. "I just want to be in bed right now and I have to wake up early to practice. And I don't want to answer any of these questions, and you guys keep asking me the same questions."
9
... And when Rowan Blanchard told her Instagram followers to stop asking the same thing.
Rowan Blanchard/Twitter
The 14-year-old "Girl Meets World" star and total badass shut down social media followers who commented on her beautiful Instagram selfies by telling her to smile. (Again, a reminder: telling women to smile when they don't want to is just another way of trying to control how they look.)
"I post on my Instagram what I like ... [and] if I want to smile I will!" she wrote. A-freaking-men.
"I post on my Instagram what I like ... [and] if I want to smile I will!" she wrote. A-freaking-men.
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10
When Ariana Grande called out radio hosts for tone-deaf questions ...
Yes, Grande had some bad and flat-out weird moments in 2015, but she also had at least one totally awesome one when, during a promotional stop at a radio station, she repeatedly called out the hosts for their inane, sexist line of questioning.
When asked what she would choose if she could only use her cell phone or makeup one last time, the pop star replied -- "Is this what you think girls have trouble choosing between? Is this men assuming that that's what girls would have to choose between?" Later in the interview, she offered up this simple prescription for being less obtuse: "You need a little brushing up on equality, over here," Grande said.
When asked what she would choose if she could only use her cell phone or makeup one last time, the pop star replied -- "Is this what you think girls have trouble choosing between? Is this men assuming that that's what girls would have to choose between?" Later in the interview, she offered up this simple prescription for being less obtuse: "You need a little brushing up on equality, over here," Grande said.
11
... And a Victoria's Secret model did, too.
In yet another example of a woman pushing back against questions that NO ONE WOULD ASK A MAN, model Magdalena Frackowiak slammed a TMZ reporter who pressed her on what she most looked forward to eating after the show. "What? No guys, not with these kinds of questions, this is stupid!” she said.
So how did TMZ respond? By calling Frackowiak "hangry" in its writeup of the vid. Super enlightened, guys.
So how did TMZ respond? By calling Frackowiak "hangry" in its writeup of the vid. Super enlightened, guys.
12
When Nicki Minaj dismissed the myth that women thrive off drama.
Getty
Minaj was not having it when, in the course of profiling for a New York Times piece, a reporter asked her about the "drama" between Drake and Meek Mill, and rappers Lil Wayne and Birdman. "Is there a part of you that thrives on drama, or is it no, just pain and unpleasantness?" the reporter continued.
"That's disrespectful," Minaj said to Grigoriadis. "Why would a grown-ass woman thrive off drama?" (Answer: They don't.)
"That's disrespectful," Minaj said to Grigoriadis. "Why would a grown-ass woman thrive off drama?" (Answer: They don't.)
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14
When Julianne Moore and Jennifer Aniston said no to the "mani cam."
Red carpets are notorious for ridiculous questions and icky interviews -- but E's so-called "mani cam," which encouraged actresses to "strut their fingers" to show off their nails and jewelry takes the cake. Julianne Moore and Jennifer Aniston pushed back against the stupidity at the SAG awards, by simply refusing to participate in televised moments that are deliciously awkward. (The network, it should be noted, pulled it for the 2015 Oscars.)
15
When 'OITNB' stars handled this almost surrealistically sexist interview like bosses.
While promoting the newest season of "Orange Is The New Black" stars Uzo Aduba, Natasha Lyonne and Samira Wiley endured a super bizarre interview with Brazilian comedian Rafael Cortez. At one point, he asked the actresses if their beauty gets in the way of their work -- because that's apparently a thing he thinks can be a real problem for women. Lyonne may have been baffled, but she responded with total effing aplomb.
"Everybody is professional and talented and very capable," she said, "so I don't think that really anybody is really thinking about something as meaningless as their beauty when they’re at work."
"Everybody is professional and talented and very capable," she said, "so I don't think that really anybody is really thinking about something as meaningless as their beauty when they’re at work."
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